Rodney Connor was the Unionist "Unity" candidate for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)

Fermanagh and South Tyrone is a Parliamentary constituency in the British House of Commons. The current MP for the constituency is Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Féin....

 in the 2010 Westminster election. He had the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party

Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...

 (DUP), and the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force

Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force

The Ulster Conservatives and Unionists, officially registered as the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force , is a bipartisan electoral alliance in Northern Ireland between the Ulster Unionist Party and the Northern Ireland branch of the Conservative Party, the latter party also being...

 electoral alliance between the Ulster Unionist Party

Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...

 (UUP) and the Conservative Party

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

. He lost to the incumbent, Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

's Michelle Gildernew

Michelle Gildernew

Michelle Gildernew is an Irish republican Sinn Féin politician and former Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Executive...

 by four votes.

As a result of efforts towards Unionist unity the DUP stated that it would not stand in North Down

North Down (UK Parliament constituency)

North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Sylvia Hermon, elected as an Independent in the 2010 General Election. -Boundaries:The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the northern part of Down...

 where the incumbent MP is the Unionist Sylvia Hermon

Sylvia Hermon

Sylvia Eileen Hermon, Lady Hermon is a Northern Irish politician. Since 2001, she has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Down, first elected for the Ulster Unionist Party , but now an independent...

 who recently quit the UUP and is now an independent unionist candidate for that constituency.

For a while the main sticking points to a total agreement appeared to be the Ulster Unionists' electoral link with the Conservatives and David Cameron

David Cameron

David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....

's insistence that any agreed unionist candidate must take the Conservative whip in the House of Commons whereas the DUP insisted that they will not endorse anyone standing under the Ulster Unionist and Conservative banner. A compromise solution was offered by Rodney Connor in that he will stand as an independent unionist who will take the Conservative whip and vote with them on national issues but will vote independently on issues relating to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.
Connor lost the election to Gildernew by four votes: 21,304 to 21,300.

Unlawful appointment as chief executive

In 2000, he was appointed Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council

Fermanagh District Council

Fermanagh District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. The borders of the district are very similar to those of the traditional County Fermanagh, containing all of that county plus a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore Road and Kilskeery Road areas. Council headquarters are...

. The appointment was later ruled unlawful due to apparent sectarian discrimination. Nine unionist councillors were fined £40,000, which had to be paid by Fermanagh District Council. Connor himself was not found responsible.